Shield assembly

ABSTRACT

A shield assembly mountable on a support separating a first area supporting a food tray from a second area containing food storing pans, as found in a cafeteria food service line. A disposable elongated transparent sheet member is held with a rod frame in a linear position along the food service line to provide a barrier between the consumers and the food storing pans. The sheet member has spaces for accommodating the frame, whereby the sheet member can be removed from the frame. The frame can have an upper portion projected over the food storing pans.

United States Patent [191 Petersen June 18, 1974 [5 SHIELD ASSEMBLY 3,088,244 5/1963 Commisso 136/! R x [76] Inventor: Ross K. Petersen 2974 W. River Rd Minneapolis Minn 55406 Primary Examiner-W. C. Reynolds Assistant Examiner-Philip C. Kannan [22] Filed: Aug. 30, 1972 211 App]. No; 284,958 7] ABSTRACT A shield assembly mountable on a support separating a first area supporting a food tray from a second area containing food storing pans, as found in a cafeteria food service line. A disposable elongated transparent sheet member is held with a rod frame in a linear position along the food service line to provide a barrier between the consumers and the food storing pans. The sheet member has spaces for accommodating the frame, whereby the sheet member can be removed from the frame. The frame can have an upper portion projected over the food storing pans.

10 Claims, 10 Drawing Figures PATENTEDJuu 1 a mu SHEET 1 BF 2 Ha l SHIELD ASSEMBLY BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Health and safety considerations require that there be a barrier or shield between the customer and the food carrying pans in a cafeteria food service line. The conventional barriers are permanent glass or plastic panes permanently mounted on posts. These barriers must be cleaned and sanitized, thereby adding to the cost and sanitation problems of a cafeteria food line. Once the shields are constructed, they cannot be readily changed and are not adjustable. A glass barrier can be broken thereby creating a safety hazard to the consumer and server as well as contaminating the food with broken glass.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The invention relates to a shield assembly mountable on a support for separating a first area from a second area, such as found in the conventional cafeteria line. The shield assembly has an elongated sheet means supported on a frame means in a position to separate the first area from the second area. The frame means has downwardly directed legs adapted to be mounted on a support. The sheet means has means providing spaces for the frame means whereby the sheet means is held in an extended position, forming a barrier separating the first area from the second area.

It is an object of the invention to provide a low cost, disposable shield assembly having sheet means in the form of plastic film providing a barrier between separate areas. A further object of the invention is to provide a shield assembly having a frame means for supporting a barrier sheet means which is adapted to be removably mounted and can be readily cleaned and sanitized. Another object of the invention is to provide a sneeze and cough barrier for a food serving line which will not break or have sharp edges and thereby obviate all possibilities of injuring consumers and contaminating the food in a food serving line.

IN THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a portion of a cafeteriatype food serving line having the shield assembly of the invention:

FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional view taken along the line22 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a front elevational view, partly broken away, of the shield assembly of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged sectional view taken along the line 4-4 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is an elevational view of a modified shield assembly of the invention;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged sectional view taken along the line 66 of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged sectional view taken along the line 77 of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a side elevational view, partly sectioned, of a wheeled vehicle equipped with a shield assembly of the invention;

FIG. 9 is a top plan view of FIG. 8; and

FIG. 10 is an enlarged sectional view taken along the line 10l0 of FIG. 8.

Referring to the drawings, there is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a conventional cafeteria food service line indicated generally at 10 used to dispense servings of food.

The service line 10 has a plurality or array of generally longitudinal rails 11 for supporting a tray at a convenient height above the floor in a first area or space. The rails 11 are located adjacent a generally horizontal counter 12. Counter 12 separates the rails 11 from the food carrying containers or pans 13 located in a second area or space. The support structure for the food service line is a housing or cabinet 14 having a top wall 16. Portions of the top wall are depressed and turned in, forming ledges or shoulders 17 for receiving the outwardly directed flanges of the pans 13. As shown in FIG. 2, the pans 13 are supported by ledgesl7 above a heating unit 18, such as heated coils carrying steam or hot water. Unit 18 can be a cooling unit. The housing 14 also serves as an anchor for the upwardly directed braces 19 and upwardly extended transverse supports 20 carrying rails 11.

Safety and health considerations require that there be a barrier or shield between the customer and the food carrying pans, such as pans 13 in the cafeteria food service line. The shield assembly indicated generally at 21 serves this purpose. Shield assembly 21 and the modifications thereof hereinafter disclosed can be used to separate and provide a barrier between any first and second or more areas. The following description is directed to a food service line.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the shield assembly 21 extends generally parallel to the rails 11 above the counter 12, thereby forming a barrier to minimize any contamination through airborne particles between the customers standing adjacent rails 11 and the food serving pans l3.

Shield assembly 21 comprises a plurality of end-toend units removably mounted on the counter 12. Each unit has a generally U-shaped frame indicated generally at 22. Frame 22 has upright legs 23 and 24 with upper ends that curve to a generally horizontal position and are connected with a generally horizontal base 26. The lower ends 23A and 24A of legs 23 and 24 respectively are elongated feet that cooperate with the counter 12 to hold the frame in an upright erected position. Feet 23A and 24A project downwardly into openings or holes 27 and 28 respectively in the top of counter 12. This male-female relationship, shown in FIG. 3, between the counter and feet 23A and 24A permit the frame to be removed from the counter for cleaning, or if necessary, to be replaced.

An elongated, generally flat bag-type sheet member 29 is fitted over the top of frame 22 to form the barrier. Member 29 is preferably made of a transparent flexible plastic film which permits the customer to visually observe the food in the pans 13 while at the same time provide an effective contamination barrier. Member 29 is a flexible, transparent plastic film, as polyethylene, polypropylene, Mylar and like plastic films. The film has sufficient thickness and strength to form an effective air impervious barrier. Films will not break thereby obviating all possibility of cutting consumers and contamination of food. The member 29 has ends 31 and 32 which fit over legs 23 and 24 to hold the side portions of the member tight. Member 29 has a lower edge 33 that is spaced above the top of counter 12 providing access between the food pans l3 and the rails 11 so that the servings can be passed to the customer. The width of member 29 can be changed to either increase or decrease the space between edge 33 and the top of counter 12. In some circumstances, it may be desirable to completely close the space along a major portion of the serving line.

In use, a number of frames 22 are mounted on the counter 12 in an end-to-end relationship, as shown in FIG. 1. The shield members 29 are slipped over the top of the frame to form the barrier. At the end of the serving period, members 29 can be removed and disposed of, thereby eliminating the time, effort and material which would be necessary to clean and sanitize a permanent type installation. Frames 22, being removable from the counter 12, can be cleaned at a separate location.

Referring to FIG. 5, there is shown a modified shield assembly indicated generally at 36 located generally horizontally over a support 37. Support 37 may be a counter of a cafeteria-type food service line, similar to counter 12. The shield assembly 36 has a plurality of generally upright frames 38 mounted on the support 37. Each frame has a leg or rod member 39. Each leg has a lower end 39A which extends into a hole or socket 40 in the support 37 The opposite or upper end 3913 of the leg is curved outwardly over the food serving pans and approaches a generally horizontal position. The leg 39 is removable from support 37 so that it can be cleaned and replaced.

Mounted on the upper end 398 of the leg is a barrier sheet member 41. A plurality of upright strips 42 are secured by heat sealing or similar means to one side of the sheet member to form upright channels or grooves 43 for accommodating the upper ends 398 of the legs. As shown in FIG. 6, the upper ends 44 of strips 42 can be secured to the sheet member 41 to completely enclose the end 39B of the leg in the sheet member. The sheet member 41 can be a clear plastic film, such as polyethylene, polypropylene, Mylar or similar clear films. The films can be manufactured in roll form so that it can be conveniently stored and utilized as a barrier. The sheet member 41 is placed on the legs by inserting the legs in the channels 43 until the sheet member reaches its full width. Sheet member 41 forms an effective contamination barrier which can be removed and disposed of periodically.

Referring to FIGS. 8, 9 and 10, there is shown a shield assembly indicated generally at 47 used with a buffet cart 48. Cart 48 may be a chuck wagon-type or portable food service table or trailer. Cart 48 has an open top box 49 supported on wheels 51 and 52 so that it can be readily moved. Box 49 can have heating accessories and structures for supporting food carrying pans and the like, as well as beverage containers.

Shield assembly 47 has a pair of inverted generally U-shaped frames 53 and 54 extended upwardly from opposite ends of the box 49. Each frame has downwardly projected legs 56 and 57 and a generally horizontal top 58. The lower end of legs 56 and 57 are removably mounted on the box 49. As shown in FIG. 10, brackets 59 and 61 are used to hold the legs 56 and 57 in-the corners of the box 49. Other types of structures, such as upright tubular members for accommodating the legs 56 and 57 can be used to mount the frames on the box. A barrier sheet member 62,63,64 is removably mounted on the upper ends of frames 53 and 54. The barrier sheet member has side portions 62 which extend longitudinally between the frames 53 and 54. The sides are joined with atop 64 which covers the space above the box. The sheet member has ends 63 that substantially close the space between the upper ends of the legs 56 and 57. As shown in FIG. 10, the top center portion of the side 63 has an opening 66, permitting the escape of gases and steam from under the sheet member. The opening 66 is formed by opening the heat seal seam 67 from the upper portion of the ends 63.

The sheet member 62,63,64 can be made from clear plastic film, as polyethylene and polypropylene, so that the contents of the box 49 are clearly visible. The sheet member is telescoped over the upper ends of the frames 53 and 54 to keep the sides 62 and ends 63 in a taut condition. This places the lower edge 68 of the sheet member above the top of box 49, providing an access into the box 49.

While there have been shown and described preferred embodiments of the invention, it is understood that changes in the shape and type of material of the barrier sheet means and the shape and construction of the frame for supporting the sheet means may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. A shield assembly mountable on a support for providing an air impervious barrier between a first area adapted to accommodate a food tray and a second area having food storing means comprising: an elongated sheet means separating the first area from the second area, said sheet means comprising flexible, air impervious and transparent sheet material, frame means supporting the sheet means in a generally upright position to separate the first area from the second area, said frame means having downwardly directed legs, said legs having lower ends positioned in openings in the support to hold the frame means in a generally upright position, said sheet means having means providing spaces receiving the frame means whereby the sheet means is held in an extended position providing a barrier between the first area and the second area.

2. The shield assembly of claim 1 wherein: the sheet means has a bottom edge spaced above the support to provide an access opening between the first area and second area.

3. The shield assembly of claim 1 wherein: the frame means is a generally inverted U-shaped frame, said legs being the sides of the U-shaped frame.

4. The shield assembly of claim 3 wherein: the sheet means is an elongated bag member adapted to telescope over the U-shaped frame.

5. The shield assembly of claim 4 wherein: said bag member has an end section with at least one opening in the end section.

6. The shield assembly of claim 1 wherein: the upper portion of the frame means is projected in a generally horizontal direction.

7. The shield assembly of claim 1 wherein: the frame means comprises a plurality of spaced rod members.

8. The shield assembly of claim 7 wherein: each rod member has an upper portion projected in a generally horizontal direction.

9. The shield assembly of claim 7 wherein: the sheet means is an elongated transparent plastic film.

10. The shield assembly of claim 1 wherein: the sheet means has generally upright side and end walls and a top wall, said end walls having openings adjacent the topwall. 

1. A shield assembly mountable on a support for providing an air impervious barrier between a first area adapted to accommodate a food tray and a second area having food storing means comprising: an elongated sheet means separating the first area from the second area, said sheet means comprising flexible, air impervious and transparent sheet material, frame means supporting the sheet means in a generally upright position to separate the first area from the second area, said frame means having downwardly directed legs, said legs having lower ends positioned in openings in the support to hold the frame means in a generally upright position, said sheet means having means providing spaces receiving the frame means whereby the sheet means is held in an extended position providing a barrier between the first area and the second area.
 2. The shield assembly of claim 1 wherein: the sheet means has a bottom edge spaced above the support to provide an access opening between the first area and second area.
 3. The shield assembly of claim 1 wherein: the frame means is a generally inverted U-shaped frame, said legs being the sides of the U-shaped frame.
 4. The shield assembly of claim 3 wherein: the sheet means is an elongated bag member adapted to telescope over the U-shaped frame.
 5. The shield assembly of claim 4 wherein: said bag member has an end section with at least one opening in the end section.
 6. The shield assembly of claim 1 wherein: the upper portion of the frame means is projected in a generally horizontal direction.
 7. The shield assembly of claim 1 wherein: the frame means comprises a plurality of spaced rod members.
 8. The shield assembly of claim 7 wherein: each rod member has an upper portion projected in a generally horizontal direction.
 9. The shield assembly of claim 7 wherein: the sheet means is an elongated transparent plastic film.
 10. The shield assembly of claim 1 wherein: the sheet means has generally upright side and end walls and a top wall, said end walls having openings adjacent the top wall. 